Typewriting machine



March 31. 1925. 1,531,402

w. P. KEENE I TYPEWRITING MACHINE 7 Filed De b. 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Af/or y March 31, 1925.

w. P. KEENE TYPEWRITING MACHINE Filed Dec. 9, 1920 2 Sheets-Sheet- 2 Af/or ey citizen of the United States, residin Patented-Mar. 3l, 1925.

4 1,531,402 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE..,

WENDELI; 1. Km, 01 BR OOKLYN, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOB TO UNDERWOOD mm WRITER COMPANY, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., A. CORPORATION OF .DELAWABE.

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Application filed December 9, 1880. Serial No. 489,310.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WENDELL P. KnnNE, a in Brooklyn Borough, in the county of Kings, city-and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Typewriting Machines, of which the follow ing is a specification.

This invention relates to typewritlng machines used for billing and other purposes, it being customary .to use a condensed record-sheet next the platen. Over this record-sheet is usually placed a ledger-sheet. or a statement-sheet, or both, with intervening carbdn-sheets. .In practice the statementsheet is sent to the customer at definite intervals, usually on the first day of each month, and a new statement-sheet must be inserted and a heading comprising the name and address of the customer typed thereon.

However, such heading should not appear on the condensed record-sheet, since the same condensed record-sheet is to havetyped thereon the items of several statements. Outer sheets, which may be statements or ledger-sheets. or both, may be successively inderted in the machine one after another, typed upon and removed, while an inner sheet, which may be a condensed recordsheet or tally-strip, may be left in the machine to receive items typed upon several s1iccessively-inserted outer sheets.

It' is an object of the present invention to enable typing upon one or'more outer sheets, and at the same time either to type upon or to avoid typing upon an inner sheet which remains in the machine. More particularly it is one of the objects of this invention to provide means for preventing the impressions of the type from being made on the condensed record or other inner sheet.wh1le a heading, or other matter, is being typed upon a statement-sheet, or other outer sheet, which it is desired shall not appear upon the condensed record-sheet. It is understood that it a new ledger-sheet is used with a new statement, both may be inserted in the machine and similar headings typed thereon at the same time. If an old ledger-sheet is to be used with a new statement, the latter is inserted in the machine prior to the insertion of the ledger-sheet, and the heading' typed thereon.

To accomplish the above noted objects, there is provided, in place of the usual carap car on the condensed reoord-sheet, which is eft in the machine. To prevent ribbon impressions from the outer side of the inner ribbon from appearing on the back of the statement, ledger-sheet, or other front sheet, there is provided an impervious or non-inking silk shield in the form of a ribbon stretched in front of said carriage ink ribbon.

Other features and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of an Underwood typewriter with the invention applied'thereto, only such parts of the machine as oo-operate with the invention being shown.

Figure 2 is a section on the line 2--2 of Figure 1, showing the additional or auxiliary ribbon in effective, or operative, position for printing on the condensed recordsheet, while the back of the adjacent outer sheet is protected by the shield.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing the auxiliary ribbon in ineffective, or inoperative, position."

Figure 4 is a view similar to Figure 2 with some of the structure removed to show more clearly the relation of the various sheets and ribbons in the effective position of the auxiliary ribbon and its outer shield.

The device provides for a carriage-frame 1 of greater length than the ordinary carriage frame of the Underwood standard typewriter, the additional length being for a purpose hereinafter to be set forth. Mounted in the frame is the usual platen 2 fixed upon a shaft 3 journaled in end walls 4 of the carriage-frame. The usual ribbon spools 5 feed and wind the usual ribbon 6 in rear of the type-guide 7 adapted to guide types 8 to the printing int.

An inspection ofFigure 4 shows that this machine is adapted to be used for typing several varieties of sheets. There are shown a statement-sheet 11, a carbon-sheet 12, a ledger-sheet 13 and a condensed record-sheet 14. The sheets 11, 12 and 13 are generally fed over a collating table 15, with which machines of this type are usually provided. The ordinary outer ribbon 6 roduces type impressions upon sheet 11, and carbon-sheet 12 produces impressions upon ledger-sheet 13. Impressions upon the condensed recordsheet 14, however, are produced by means of an additional or inner auxiliary ribbon 21, with which co-operates a. silk ribbon 22 forming a shield at the outer side thereof, to prevent impressions from being. produced on the rear of sheet 13, or from fouling said sheet by ribbon 21 when the sheet is withdrawn from the machine. The structure which comprises ribbons 21 and 22 and the means for renderin them effective or ineffective are nowto be described Fixed to the end carriage walls are brackets 23 having, depending portions 24, the latter being provided at their lower ends with bearings 25, the left bearing having a boss 26 in which operates a detent 27 pressed by a spring 28 whose tension may be adjusted by a screw 29. Mounted for reciprocating movement in each of said bearings is a vertical shaft 31, the left shaft having a lower grooved portion 32 and an upper grooved portion 33. Upon the upper end of each shaft 31 is journaled a ribbon-spool 34, and beneath said spool are two spaced collars 35, on-the shaft 31. The inner inking ribbon 21 is carried by the spools 34 and extends from the forward sides of these spools along the front of the platen 2, to cover the printing point on the platen inward from the outer ribbon 6, as shown in Figures 1 and 4. It is thus apparent that the axes of the spools for the auxiliary ribbon are parallel to the axes of the spools 5 of the ordinary ribbon, and that the auxiliary ribbon is therefore fed to the printing point without any twisting throughout its length. Since the ribbon spools 34 lie in a horizontal plane laterally outward from the adjacent ends of the platen, it necessitates the lengthening of the carriage. as previously mentioned, a distance greater than twice the diameter of a spool. Projecting into the space between the collars 35 on each shaft 31 is a pin 40 at the end of an arm 41 pivoted to a bracket 42 on the under side of the usual paper-table 43- The two arms are connected by a rod 44, so that they move in unison, and one of the arms is provided with a fingerpiece 45. Near their forward ends the arms are provided with slots 50 through which the auxiliary ribbon 21 is passed, for guiding it. Also the ends of the silk ribbon 22 pass through the openings 50, encircle the front parts of the arms, and are fastened to themselves, as at 51, so that the forward ends of the swinging arms 41 form a shield-carrier,. the silk ribbon 22 being stretched between the arms 41 at the front of the inner inking ribbon 21.

The operation of the device is as follows:

Ordinarily the device is in the Figure 2 position with the various sheets and ribbons as shown in F i ure 4. The type striking the ordinary rib n 6 produces impressions on statement 11, the carbon 12 roduces impressions on ledger-sheet 13, be auxiliary ribbon 21 produces impressions upon recordsheet 14, while the silk ribbon 22 prevents impressions from being printed b the auxiliary ribbon 21 on the rear of t e ledgersheet 13. vIf a new statement is inserted requiring the typing of the, name and address which should not appear on the condensed record-sheet, the arms 41 are swung upward- 1y by the finger-piece 45, the pins 40 lifting the ribbon spoolsto the Figure 3 position, where the spring detent engages the lower groove 32 to hold the mechanism in ineffective position. The silk ribbon and the auxiliary ribbon move with the arms which carry up the spoolsof the auxiliary ribbon at the same time. The printing ribbon for the condensed record-sheet having been removed from the printing point, the statement may be headed without making any imwessions on the record-sheet.

hen the heading, comprising the name and address, has been typed upon the statement, the arms 41 are swung downwardly, thereby to return the inner inking ribbon 21 and its shield 22 from the upper or ineffective position shown in Figure 3 to the lower or typing position shown in Figures 2 and 4, so that now any items typed upon the outermost sheet or statement 11 by means of the outer inking ribbon 6, and upon the intermediate ledger-sheet 13 ,by means of the carbon-sheet 12, will also be typed upon the inner sheet or condensed record-sheet 14 by means of the inner ribbon 21, while the back of the intermediate sheet 13 will be protected from receiving impressions from the outer side of the inner ribbon 21 by means of the interposed shield 22.

Also, in the case of any kind of work in which it may be desirable, it is to be noted that the present invention provides for either typing upon or omitting from an inner sheet any part of the matter which is typed upon one or several outer sheets, in view of the fact that the inner ribbon 21 and its protective shield 22 are shiftable between their eflective and ineffective positions while all of the sheets remain in the machine, without disturbing these sheets or interfering with the typing operation.

It will be seen that there is presented the novelty of silencing the auxiliary ribbon 21 by shifting it up just clear of the types 8 and there detaining it, whereby the front work-sheet 11 may be typed upon without typing upon the back work-sheet 14, which is a desideratum in many kinds of work. When it is again desired to use the auxiliary the combination of a vertical spool-carryin shaft at each end of the carriage mounte to slide vertically therein, a ribbon-spool carried by each of said shafts to partake of its vertical movement and carrying an inner inking ribbon to extend along the front of the platen to cover the printing point inward from said outer ribbon, a device for sliding said spool-carrying shafts upwardly to raise said inner ribbon above the printing point on the platen, and a shield separate from said inner ribbon to cover the printing point on theplaten at the outer side of said inner ribbon for protecting the back of the work-sheet next outward from said in ner ribbon from receiving impressions from the outer side of said inner ribbon.

5. In a front-strike typewriting machine having a traveling carriage, a revoluble platen carried thereby, types to strike at a printing point on the front of the platen, means for guiding work-sheets around the platen and up past the printing point thereon, and means for holding an outer inking ribbon to cover the printing point at the outside of all the Work-sheets on the platen, the combination of a vertical spool-carrying shaft at each end of the carriage mounted to slide vertically therein, a ribbon-spool carried by each of said shafts to partake-of its vertical movement and carrying an inner auxiliary inking ribbon to extend along the front of the platen to cover the printing point inward from said outer ribbon, a shield separate from said inner ribbon to cover the printing point on the platen at the outer side of said inner ribbon for protecting the back of the work-sheet next outward. from said inner ribbon from receiving'impressions from the outer side of said inner ribbon, and means for silencing said auxiliary. ribbon, including a device for sliding said spool-carrying shafts upwardly to raise said inner ribbon to a position just above the printing point on the.platen with out unthreading the auxiliary ribbon from the work-sheets and for concomitantly raising said shield above the printing point along with said inner ribbon, said shield being carried by said device to move therewith, and means for detaining said auxiliary ribbon in its silenced position.

6. In a typcwriting machine having the usual main ribbon and the usual revoluble cylindrical platen and in Which the type blows fall upon the front of the platen, and having the usual paper-holding means keeping the work-sheets against the front of the platen at the printing line, enabling the work-sheets to be backed up solidly by the platen at the type blows and thereby insur- 1ng clear and even type impressions, said paper hoIding means directing the worksheets back over the platen, thecombination with an auxiliary ink-ribbon extending along the platen and constantly interposed between work-sheets kept against the platen by said paper-holding means, of guiding means for said interposed ribbon, said guiding means mounted for reciprocation for temporarily shifting the ribbon to and fro between the work-sheets from printing location, and in a direction eccentric to and upwardly and rearwardly of the platen and guided always close thereto, to a non-printing location just above the printing line, all the work-sheets being kept against said aten at and above the printin line an directed rearwardly therefrom by said paperholding means, preparatory to typing upon the outer sheet through said main ribbonwithoutduplicating the type impressions through said interposed ribbon, and for restoring the interposed ribbon to printing location preparatory to typing therethrough.

7. In a front-strike typewritin ma chine, the combination with a revolub e platen, a platen-frame, and a main ribbon mechanism to co-operate with the types, of a device mounted upon the platen-frame and capable of either supporting a rear auxiliary ribbon in typing position in front of the platen or silencing said auxiliary ribbon, at will, said device being mounted to shift said auxiliary ribbon from normal typing posi- 96 tion upwardly and rearwardly back of the front work-sheet. to an abnormal position just clear of the types, while said auxiliary ribbon remains threaded between front and back work-sheets, and without disturbing 1 0 the typing position of the front work-sheet relatively to the platen, and means to detain said ribbon-supporting device in said silencing position, whereby typing may roceed upon only the front work-sheet while said 105 auxiliary ribbon remains silenced, and whereby said auxiliary ribbon may be re-' stored to typing position by depressing said device to normal position, said device including ribbon-carrying arms mounted on 110 said platen-frame at the ends of the/platen, and means mechanically connecting said arms for simultaneous movement; said detaining means being yieldable to permit pressure upon either arm to swing said de- 115 vice down; WENDELL P. KEEN E.

Witnesses:

EDITH B. LIBBEY, CATHERINE A. NEWELL. 

